Let the Past Stay Behind
by MasouPanchi
Summary: On Juvia's search for the cause of her parents' death, she uncovers truths and lies that should have remained hidden. For her sake and Gray's. Chap 3 is up. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Ultimate lead

Let the Past Stay Behind

#1

"…As Juvia was saying, it is not required of me but an utmost chance like the one present here, shouldn't be ignored. Lucy-chan, I need this. It might be one chance to learn more about-"

"Hey, Juvia." A certain dark haired figured said, approaching the table where the two women sat.

The Blue haired water mage made a slight gesture of exasperation, not turning toward the man she was supposed to be head over heels for.

"Yes. Hello Gray-sama." She answered, still focusing on Lucy and spelling out each word slowly as if she was explaining something to a small child. The blonde, getting where the situation was going, pursued the conversation.

"…Right. To learn more about that. I get it. But don't you think that's going a little too much overboard? Who knows if your lead is… well if it's genuine. I mean, Juvia, you really shouldn't rush things, it might be-"

"Watcha talking about?" Gray asked, completely blind to the fact that he was cutting them for the second time.

He earned another sigh from the water woman. What was with her today? Whenever he came to sit by her, she would literally drop unconscious… and right now, her conversation with LUCY seemed more important? It annoyed him a little, but completely ignorant as he was about feelings, he shrugged it off.

"Juvia's birth parents." Lucy groaned at him.

"Oh."

"Don't _Oh_me, Gray Fullbuster. Family IS a sensitive subject here!"

Shit, now he had annoyed her. Lucy went on and on about how in Juvia's case, wanting to understand her parents' death was important and-

"Phase of what?" He interrupted.

The blonde was surprised to see that he might have ACTUALLY listened to what she had said, and it caught her off guard.

"W-Well, it's not like it concerns you anyways."

In Gray's opinion, it did. He didn't talk much with Juvia but she was still a nakama and he cared about her. She was as important to him as all Fairy Tail was. He tried to investigate further more into the problem but only got rejected when Juvia stood up, and turned to leave.

"I'll see you Lu-Chan." She said in a whisper.

"Wait. Juvia!" Gray called.

She turned around and smiled for a brief moment.

"See you later Gray-sama."

And she walked out of the Guild.

"Tell me one thing."

"I don't wanna talk to you."

"It's important."

"Like I care."

"Lucy! Stop fucking ignoring it!"

The celestial mage turned around.

"And why is it exactly that you are focusing on Juvia's feeling now of all times?"

Gray shifted. He was loosing is patience and his chest felt like it burnt. He took of his shirt.

"Because."

Lucy flinched at the sight his bare skin, but snorted at his answer.

"That girl, is my friend. She's been in love with you for as long as I can remember, you've never even looked at her once with the same feelings. Now? All I can say is find out yourself Gray!"

The ice mage murmured a "whatever" and turned to leave.

"And Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"For the love of God, put your pants back on."

"SHIT."

**HEY YOU GUYS! I'm so happy, this is kinda my first FF about Gray and Juvia. It mostly focuses on Juvia searching for her past (Ik it didn't happen like that, but meh…) and Gray trying to figure out what to do with an issue that bothers him AUA. Also you'll probably cry in this story… but that is just emotional-me guessing. **

**Anyways! I hope you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2: Mistaken

Let the Past Stay Behind

#2

She was walking at a decided pace.

It was very unusual for her to have her mind set on someone else than Gray Fullbuster, but by doing this she felt… complete.

She didn't mean to hurt him by walking her own path. But how would he feel when all this was finally dug up? More importantly, what if as Lucy had said, what she discovered shattered their relationship?

"Juvia, thinking about the _if_s won't get you anywhere." She told herself.

The Water Mage took a last long look at Magnolia Town. It truly was beautiful under the shinnying rays of the bright sunlight. The vivid colors of the trees, flowers and people brought tears to her eyes. The beauty was so intense, all she could do was stare. But she remembered what she had set out to do, and was determined to see it through.

She boarded the train, and soon, Magnolia Town was only a small dot in the majestic landscape of Fiore.

A certain white haired female Mage walked over to Lucy Hearfillia's table. As usual, the Guild was loud, and Mira had important matters to discuss. Lisana was serving the drinks in her place. The take-over Mage was soon followed by Cana, who had the same question on her mind.

"Where is Juvia?" Mirajane asked.

It had been three weeks since they had last seen her at the Guild, and the girls were starting to get worried.

"Yeah. I don't get it. It's sunny so she's not sad, no one has seen her take up a mission on the request board, and Icy didn't endure an Erza-intervention."

They watched as Lucy paled and swallowed. Truth was, she worried about Juvia too.

"W-well, you know maybe… she had a date or something!"

Mirajane and Cana only stared.

"…Or you know…she's sick!"

"Lucy, it's summer. Besides, water mages don't get sick very easily."

"I don't think she's got a date either. Juvia's not gonna go for anyone but Gray." Cana added.

The celestial mage didn't know what to answer. She couldn't possibly tell them the truth; Juvia had the right to have some privacy. But still… It worried her not to know what was happening.

"I don't know." She murmured.

"She's searching for her parents." Gray said at the same time.

Lucy turned and stared at the Ice Mage. She was about to scold him for taking part in a conversation that didn't concern him but she was interrupted by a sharp "What?" from Mira.

"That can't be good." Cana said.

"What is going on?" Lucy and Gray asked at the same time.

Cana looked away, and Mira breathed in deeply.

"Juvia's parents were murdered."

She stared at the creature in front of her.

Such disgusting beasts shouldn't be allowed in a cemetery. She would make sure to end its life on the spot.

After all, her parents had the right to rest in peace.

The fight didn't last long. A couple deadly water slicers were the last thing the humongous creature saw. It's blood spread on the wet grass, rain drops fell. But the Water Mage was not crying.

Determined to see for herself, she approached the tall stone structure. She had been ignoring the villagers when they told her no water mages had been buried in their earth.

It couldn't be.

She had spend so much time researching, this lead couldn't simply be a dead end.

She placed a water lock on the structure, hoping it would crumble under the pressure of the water. When it did not, she let her mind wander through the grave.

It wasn't her parents'.

"No…"

She released the lock.

"How did Mother and Father die…" She asked herself.

It was a hard burden to bear.

Not long ago had she found out that she was the last living member of the Loxar family.

And now, she had no idea where her parents laid or if they were buried at all.

Lucy was right after all.

"Hey…"

"Oh my god. Impossible."

"She's back."

Fairy Tail's main room gradually became quiet as the sound of rain falling outside grew clearer. It hadn't rained for 2 months now, and this morning had been another sunny autumn day. It could only mean one thing: Juvia was crying. And if Juvia was crying as much as to have rain fall over Magnolia meant that she was near.

Makarov, sitting on the bar counter, frowned.

Mirajane stopped washing the glasses.

Cana put her barrel down.

Gray and Natsu stopped fighting.

Levvy glanced up.

Lucy swallowed.

Erza turned around.

Juvia pushed open the doors and smiled at the unusually quiet guild.

HELLO EVERYONE! I'm so happy that you reviewed the first chapter! I should have mentioned that this FF is going to be pretty short… *awkward silence* Yea… I didn't really want to write a loooong one because I would endure many writer's blocks and short stories are better for people who don't have a lot of time to spend reading anyways. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one is probably going to be the final one… IK, this story was short… But yea! Keep R&R!

**~THANK YOU ALL REVIEWERS!**


	3. Chapter 3: Released Sorrow

_**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! At last this FF is done! This last chapter is quite long, so take your time enjoying the end…. It took me quite some time to write because I'm working on a flash game project at the same time and making Christmas presents for my friends and ALSO drawing them as mythical creatures. See the load of work on my shoulders? I didn't count homework, housework and enduring my sibling 24/7. ANYWAYS, besides that random point, enjoy and keep reviewing! Really, you don't know how much it means to me when someone comments on what I wrote!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, neither its characters. If I did, Juvia and Gray would have ended up together for quite some time now….**_

Let the Past Stay Behind

#3

The water Mage's clothes were torn, dirty and soaking wet.

Her hair was a mess, there was no light in her eyes.

Her smile was obviously fake.

She had scars all along her arms and face.

Her black stockings were ripped apart. There was blood dripping whenever she walked.

"What the hell happened to you?" Gray asked, stepping in front of her.

She did nothing to push him out of her way, simply walked passed him, and went to sit by the bar.

"Oi."

"I got into a fight." She breathed.

"What I'm asking is, who the hell did this to you?" He said, pointing to the scars.

"Oh. I did them myself."

The entire Guild jumped.

"JUVIA!" Lucy yelled.

The blonde ran to the bar counter and grabbed her friend by the shoulder. She shook her for a long time.

"H-hey Lucy-"

"Don't _**Hey**____**Lucy**_ me! Why did you do it?"

"Did what?"

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Hurt yourself obviously."

She kept silent. Lucy asked again.

"It's just, when I feel close to fainting, I see them…"

Multiple tears started to form in her eyes. Lucy hugged her, soon followed by Mira, Erza, Levy, Cana and all the girls in Fairy Tail.

The bartender led Juvia into the backroom, only allowing certain people in: Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Happy, Wendy, Charles, Levy, Cana and Gajeel.

Juvia whispered something into Mira's ear, and the white haired girl nodded.

"Gray, I think you should explain a couple of things to us."

He stared dumbfounded.

"Huh?"

"Remember that mission you did? The one with Lyon?"

He scratched the back of his head, trying to remember. Mirajane on the other hand, kept record of everything; she knew he would remember. The others only felt very confused.

"I guess."

Mira stared.

"Did you unfreeze that lake?"

"…Yes."

"Did you know what was hidden at the bottom?"

The ice mage shed his shirt. This questioning was making him all sweaty. What was he guilty of? What was the connection to Juvia?

"…I… there was something on the bottom?"

Lucy couldn't take it anymore. She asked what the hell was going on.

And Mira let Gray explain.

##

He had gone on a mission with Lyon. He didn't know why. Makarov had told him to do so. So he did. All they had to do was get rid of some deer. It apparently brought sicknesses and young children were dying. Turned out, the deer had been cursed. So they tried to kill it. But first, they needed to catch it. It ran through the forest for 5 days and 4 nights. The two ice mages were exhausted. It was as if the animal knew it was going to die. On the fifth day, at twilight, the deer stopped. They were know high up in the mountains, and soon snow would be covering the ground. Lyon wanted to stop, to go back down the mountain, to wait for the deer to come back down too. But Gray had been stubborn. He had said he wasn't going to let all that running go to waste. So he continued. And Lyon sighed, but followed. When they found it, it was standing on a frozen lake. Exactly in the middle, staring out to them. Lyon sent his eagles and they attacked. The animal didn't even flinch as its skin was ripped open from all angles. Gray unfroze the lake, the deer drowned. End of story.

##

"What's up with that?" Natsu asked.

Mira bit her lip. She didn't actually think that Gray wouldn't know of what was beneath the water.

"I… Hum… well…" She cleared her throat. "That lake was a burial place for Juvia's parents. They were… the lake."

Gray gasped. Juvia looked up, shocked.

"What?"

"I know it sounds crazy. But you see, Juvia's parents sacrificed themselves for the village down that mountain. They actually went on the exact same mission you and Lyon did….only they died. Their bodies were turned into ice by someone, unknown to us. I don't know why it happened, only that the deer showed up afterwards. I think it drank the water and because it was spirit water, it changed. That would be what caused the illnesses."

Erza and Lucy stood both still.

Juvia opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. It was Gajeel who saw it and told her:

"Go ahead Juvia."

"Ju…Juv.. Mira-san, you…..knew about this…?"

The take over mage nodded, lowering her head in shame.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Master had given me orders."

At that moment, a voice coming from the shadows of one corner of the room was heard.

"And they still applied Mira. But I'm glad you told them, actually. Juvia needed to hear this."

Lucy did a double take and whispered what-you-were-here-all-along-old-man-?.

A certain pink haired dragon slayer was slowly processing all this information into his mind. With a sudden enlightenment, he exclaimed:

"SO ICE BRAIN KILLED JUVIA'S PARENTS." Then realizing what had just come out of his mouth, he said: "WAIT. OH LORD IGNEEL, YOU ARE SO SCREWED SLOPPY EYES!"

He was shut up by a punch from Erza.

"Well, anyways that's it! … I guess we can go back now…" Mira whispered awkwardly.

-A few days later-

The Guild had gone back to it's usual disturbance, drinks and punches flying high.

Juvia had cleaned up and Wendy had gladly healed her wounds. She looked fresh like the spring rain again. She was currently sitting at a table, watching Fairy Tail go on and off and back on again. _Such__a__wonderful__guild_, she thought. _Juvia__'__s__glad__she__'__s__part__of__them._The resident ice mage came and sat across from her.

"Hey Juvia.."

She smiled happily, blushed and fidgeted.

"H-Hello, Gray-sama!"

He groaned, hearing the honorific again.

"Please drop the 'sama' we're nakama for Ur's sake!"

Juvia looked down. How could she stop using the honorific? It was like telling her to stop referring to herself in third person!

Gray apparently realized, because he scratched the back of his head and bit his lip.

"Wait, never mind that. Anyways, hum… how do I put this…I'm really sorry about kind of destroying your parents' grave and souls… so hum"

He had her full attention now. She tilted her head to the side, in a cute manner.

"Oh it's all forgotten now. Besides, Juvia's is taking it much easier since it was Gray sama. Not someone like…. Gajeel-kun, for example."

Gray wondered why she reffered to the iron eater but shrugged it off.

He still felt bad for his actions.

"Really, it makes me feel broken inside." Gray moaned.

There were tears in her eyes, but she did not know what or how they got there, much less if she was sad or not.

"Don't be, it wasn't your attention to do so."

"But Juvia! If only I had known!"

Why was he getting so worked up on this?

"You did not, therefore it doesn't matter."

He shook his head. How could she be so strong to hold everything in!

"For me it still does."

She sighed.

"Then follow Juvia's example, and let the past stay behind."

She stood on her tiptoe and, reaching his height, she placed a small kiss on his lips.


End file.
